Hello, again. I'm back from a much-needed Kentucky Derby vacation and ready to dust off the New Orleans Saints Insider blog and return to work.

(And just to get this out of the way, no, I did not have Mine That Bird. But I did cash in on the 50-1 long shot with a Rachel Alexandra-ALL parlay in the Kentucky Oaks-Kentucky Derby daily double wager.)

Ted Jackson, The Times-PicayuneSaints owner Tom Benson and team executive Rita Benson LeBlanc talk to reporters about the new deal with the state.

As expected ,the Saints agreed to a long-term deal with the state and I thought I'd weigh in on the deal before we get down to on-the-field matters at the rookie minicamp on Friday. We'll get a chance to visit with the players - including several NFL veterans who'll be participating on a tryout basis - and will report back throughout the day right here at nola.com.

Until then, here are my thoughts on the Saints' deal with the state:

I've been one of the harshest critics of the old deal, which was negotiated by former Gov. Mike Foster and then chief of staff Steve Perry and was way too one-sided for the Saints.

It's hard to find fault in this new arrangement.

The new agreement is much more equitable for all parties -- a true partnership for a change -- and justifiably asks the club to share in the financial risk with the state. In particular, I like the creative solution to the annual subsidy problem without further burden to taxpayers.

In many ways, the deal mirrors in structure the one the state cut with the Hornets two years ago.

I echo the sentiments of my colleagues on the Times-Picayune's editorial board who hailed the deal as a "win-win-win-win situation" for everyone involved.

Win No. 1: The Saints will remain in Louisiana until at least 2025.

Win No. 2: The financial burden will be shifted significantly from taxpayers to the Saints.

Win No. 3: The Superdome will be upgraded to modern-day standards.

Win No. 4: The blighted New Orleans Centre/Hyatt district will be revitalized with a $10.5 entertainment district adjacent to the stadium.

Actually, I'll add one more win:

Win No. 5: Tom Benson enhances his legacy by securing a 10th Super Bowl for New Orleans. That's going to happen May 19.

Other thoughts on the deal:

• The most interesting comment from the briefing Saints and state officials had with the Times-Picayune editorial board last week came from Saints' senior vice president/chief financial officer Dennis Lauscha. From T-P colleague John Deshazier's spot-on column about the deal last week, Lauscha said, "The bottom line is, we don't like getting a check. We don't like getting a check. We're not immune to the criticism. We hear it; we don't like it. We want to generate and earn what we can. The thing that put us over the top is having the improvements. Having the improvements gives us a chance to make the $12 million, to get us closer to the $23 (million). So we're willing to take that risk." Refreshing words that frankly I never thought I'd hear from a Saints official.

• There are no outs in the deal. This deal locks the Saints into the city for the foreseeable future. The only way either side can break it is to default on the lease by performance, i.e, if the state failed to pay the Saints its annual subsidy or the Saints failed to upgrade the Dominion Tower offices as proposed. Thankfully this should quell reports of the Saints as a viable relocation candidate for Los Angeles or San Antonio or anywhere else, for that matter.

• When all is said and done, Benson's total financial commitment could reach $75 million, what with his real estate purchases and commitments to upgrade the entertainment park and office tower. Sure, Benson will eventually earn it back, but that's significant "up-front money" considering the difficulty borrowers face in today's economy.

• A lot of folks were involved in the deal, but the drivers were Lauscha and Doug Thornton of SMG, the company that operates the Superdome. Those were the guys rolling up their sleeves and hashing out the details late at night. They were the primary negotiators.

• Since the deal was brokered, there's been much caterwauling from legislators in Baton Rouge but rest easy, Saints fans. Gov. Bobby Jindal will get this deal approved. Everything you hear between now and the legislative session is nothing more than good old-fashioned grandstanding.

• Jindal's presence in negotiations can't be undersold. The mutual respect between the governor and Benson formed the foundation for the positive negotiations and were in direct contrast to the contested talks between the Saints owner and former Gov. Kathleen Blanco.

In other Saints-related notes:

• Kudos to colleague Brian Allee-Walsh for shooting down the exaggerated reports of the Saints' interest in Edgerrin James. If you actually read Saints general manager Mickey Loomis' comments in the original news report in the NFL.com blog, you'd see there was nothing to it. Here's what Loomis said: "There's been talk about Edgerrin James, and we've spent some time evaluating that prospect. We'll continue to do that. We haven't made any decision or closed any doors on acquiring another running back if we feel that's something we need to do. We do feel a lot better about what we have in-house than people do outside of our building." Loomis could make that same comment accurately about every unsigned free agent in the league. There's absolutely nothing newsworthy in that statement. The Saints aren't going to sign James. Have they "considered" signing him? Yes. Just as they have "considered" signing dozens of other free agents in the league. You can always tell it's a slow news period when a non-story like this takes a life of its own.

• I couldn't fit this into my column in today's Times-Picayune, but Cabinets by Perrier, a Harahan-based cabinet maker, deserves mention for constructing the wood boxes used to house the New Orleans Super Bowl bids. The cypress wood cases, adorned with handpainted placards, are truly individual works of art. If I were an NFL owner I would keep them in my office as a keepsake. One day they'll be worth something. David Perrier is the same guy who also built the wooden podium for George H.W. Bush's nomination speech at the 1988 Republication National Convention at the Superdome.

• The most interesting comment in Brian's feature on Usama Young was Young's description of the difference between playing cornerback and safety:

"I've been a cornerback for years, so I feel a lot more comfortable playing it," Young said. "At corner, you get tunnel vision. You get to be on front of that wide receiver. You don't really look at all the other things going on around you. You don't look at the running back or the linemen; you don't have to get all those reads. That makes the job a little simpler, mentally.

"But at safety you've got to see the entire field. You've got to read the quarterback; you've got to get that run/pass read. You've got to be able to fill that gap, close that gap ASAP. Safeties tend to be a lot more physical and have to deal a lot more with blockers, and I'm all for that. I haven't done it at the NFL level yet, but I'm looking forward to it."

This was the primary concern many NFL coaches and personnel men expressed to me when I asked them about the difficulty of making the corner-to-safety transition last year. Some players adjust to it; others never do and ultimately fail.

And it's something all of the armchair defensive coordinators need to keep in mind when they start switching players from position to position like it's fantasy football. It's not that easy, especially at the NFL level.

• Ace T-P beat man Mike Triplett has a great take on the Mike McKenzie situation. The veteran cornerback is a long shot to return to New Orleans. If the Saints really wanted him around they wouldn't have cut him loose, especially with new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams implementing his new scheme this offseason. Trust me, any defensive player who the Saints are counting on this season will be involved this offseason during the installation phase of the system. Williams said he plans to implement three complete installations before the start of the regular season. Immersion in the system is critical for every key player.

• And finally, the Saints did the right thing by axing rookie free agents Biren Ealy and Kolomona Kapanui after the young players were arrested for allegedly being drunk and exposing themselves to two women in the parking lot of a suburban apartment complex where they live. It's career suicide when campers like Ealy and Kapanui make headlines in the news section rather than the sports section.